Florist at Work

We were in the city over the weekend…primarily for the first OU home game of the season.

{We’re not even going to discuss that first game.}

Besides the football game, my beloved also had a work golf tournament to attend as well.  As if you can use the words “work” and “golf” in the same sentence.  But at any rate, that meant that I had an entire morning with time to kill. My options were either to sit in the hotel room and watch back to back episodes of ‘Property Brothers’ or tag along with my girl on her Saturday morning work schedule.

The decision was a no-brainer obviously.

My girl is a floral designer…did I ever tell you that?  She works for a wedding/event planner, and her responsibilities include sitting in on wedding consultations, ordering flowers, and creating a variety of floral arrangements (centerpieces, bouquets, etc.).  And Saturday morning she needed to finish up some florals for two weddings that afternoon.  First stop – the flower market!  Which was as delightful and enchanting as you can image.  Blooms of every shape and color…greenery of every texture.  A magical place for sure!

Once Kelsey had selected the items on her list, we were off to the studio where she works. And where her coworker/friend Kirby was hard at work on a flower crown for a little flower girl.

Getting to visit Kelsey at the studio felt like being backstage at a concert…seeing all the work that goes on behind-the-scenes of any big production.  And I LOVED it!  First of all, it was full of gorgeous flower arrangements!  Literally dozens of these beauties organized on the floor and waiting to be delivered for some lucky bride’s big day.

And then of course there was the ‘proud momma’ moment as I watched my girl at work.  From the bride’s flower crown to the mothers’ wrist corsages it was just fascinating to see what went into making these inspired creations.

In case you’re curious, I was suuuuper helpful hanging out over Kelsey’s shoulder asking her the names of the flowers/greenery.  And she especially loved it when I would say “hold that right there” while taking pictures.

Anyway, once she and Kirby had everything ready, they each packed up their cars – tetris style – and carefully made their way to the wedding venue to drop everything off.  I stood there looking at all of the arrangements laid out on the tables.  And it was so beautiful.. I mean SO BEAUTIFUL – Seriously…every word you can think of that describes loveliness – delightful, charming, enchanting, beautiful, stunning, elegant – it was all of those. I could hardly contain my tears.

On our way back to the studio, I was thinking about how this bride (as appreciative as she might be) probably has no idea how much effort and work goes into these creations.  Which is understandable because on the outside, it’s these beautiful flowers and lovely layers of greenery and enchanting little bits and pieces that add interest and whimsy.  But in reality, underneath all of the beauty is a carefully constructed foundation…the architecture onto which all that loveliness is glued, wired, taped, and pinned.  The infrastructure gives the beauty a framework and helps it to last throughout the ceremony.

As Tripp and I drove home yesterday morning, I couldn’t help but think about my girl and the life is she is creating for herself.  Working hard to build a strong foundation and framework.  And it’s not easy.  It’s not all pretty and flashy.  It’s wire and tape and cuts and scrapes.  It’s perseverance and tenacity and faith and trust.

My girl is a florist who has a talent for creating beautiful floral arrangements.  My girl is also an {A}rtist who has a gift for designing a beautiful life.  And I just could not be a more proud of her.